A petition with nearly 800 signatures is mounting against a proposal that could transform Fort Pierce's Museum Pointe — a public waterfront park along the Indian River Lagoon — into a mega-yacht marina.
WATCH BELOW: 'We have been talking for years about better locations for that history center,' Erick Gill tells WPTV's Kate Hussey
The proposal is part of the Port of Fort Pierce's updated 2026 Master Plan. It calls for redeveloping Museum Pointe, which is currently home to a history center, public waterfront access, fishing piers, and green space, into a facility featuring floating docks, a multi-story marina, an event center, a waterfront restaurant, and a clubhouse.
Opponents fear the plan could privatize one of the city's most treasured public spaces.
"Giving public land to private folks," said Terry Howard, a volunteer at the History Center at Museum Pointe Park.
Howard contacted WPTV's Kate Hussey after learning about the master plan.
"Development is just rampant in Florida, and at least we can fight for this one particular area and keep it green," Howard said.
He said the loss of public waterfront access is a concern — but his biggest worry is the fate of the museum itself.
"This is the place where this museum should be, right here on this Museum Pointe," said Howard.
For more than 50 years, the museum has preserved artifacts from Florida's Native American tribes, Spanish shipwrecks, and more. The master plan's renderings place the proposed marina clubhouse exactly where the museum stands today.
"Basically taking away a gem — a public gem that belongs to the people and replacing it with a facility for mega yachts," Howard said. "We're trying to keep this area as it is."
St. Lucie County spokesperson Erick Gill said the museum's future is not in jeopardy if the project moves forward.
"Staff's intent was never to close the museum," Gill said. "We have been talking for years about better locations for that history center, it is on a barrier island, in a flood zone, so it may not be the best place to store artifacts."
Gill said the museum and its collection would be preserved and relocated if the project proceeds. He added that the master plan is designed to expand economic development, create jobs, and generate county revenue.
"I think all local governments are looking for a way to generate revenue, so we can continue to lower the taxes for St. Lucie County residents and generate revenue from economic development, and we already have dock space there," Gill said.
"Anything that's going to be a positive economic driver for the City of Fort Pierce, I'm going to embrace completely," Fort Pierce City Commissioner Michael Broderick added.
Broderick said the city will have the final say on whether the project moves forward, and that commissioners will have to weigh economic benefits against preserving waterfront access.
When asked which priority — economic development or waterfront access — would take precedence, Broderick said the answer is not simple.
"That's the challenging question right there. I believe that we can strike a balance," Broderick said. "We always have to be careful not to eliminate public access to the waterway. Period."
For Howard, the stakes go beyond the present.
"This is a gem that once we develop around it, it'll never be replaced again," Howard said. "The museum has been here since the 1970s. If they want to boat docks for mega yachts, they can do it someplace else."
St. Lucie County leaders are scheduled to discuss the proposal and its current status at a 9 a.m. meeting on Aug. 11 in the St. Lucie County Commission Chambers.
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